modulation (in communications)

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.

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modulation, in communications, process in which some characteristic of a wave (the carrier wave) is made to vary in accordance with an information-bearing signal wave (the modulating wave); demodulation is the process by which the original signal is recovered from the wave produced by modulation. The original, unmodulated wave may be of any kind, such as sound or, most often, electromagnetic radiation, including optical waves. The carrier wave can be a direct current, an alternating current, or a pulse chain. In modulation, it is processed in such a way that its amplitude, frequency, or some other property varies.

Amplitude Modulation

Amplitude modulation (AM) is the modulation method used in the AM radio broadcast band. In this system the intensity, or amplitude, of the carrier wave varies in accordance with the modulating signal. When the carrier is thus modulated, a fraction of the power is converted to sidebands extending above and below the carrier frequency by an amount equal to the highest modulating frequency. If the modulated carrier is rectified (see rectifier) and the carrier frequency filtered out, the modulating signal can be recovered. This form of modulation is not a very efficient way to send information; the power required is relatively large because the carrier, which contains no information, is sent along with the information.

In a variant of amplitude modulation, called single sideband modulation (SSB), the modulated signal contains only one sideband and no carrier. The information can be demodulated only if the carrier is used as a reference. This is normally accomplished by generating a wave in the receiver at the carrier frequency. SSB modulation is used for long-distance telephony (such as in the amateur radio bands) and telegraphy over land and submarine cables.

Frequency and Phase Modulation

In frequency modulation (FM), the frequency of the carrier wave is varied in such a way that the change in frequency at any instant is proportional to another signal that varies with time. Its principal application is also in radio, where it offers increased noise immunity and decreased distortion over the AM transmissions at the expense of greatly increased bandwidth. The FM band has become the choice of music listeners because of its low-noise, wide-bandwidth qualities; it is also used for the audio portion of a television broadcast.

Digital radio is based on frequency division multiplexing (FDM), which allows transmission of multiple signals simultaneously over a single transmission path, such as a cable or wireless system. Each signal travels within its own unique frequency range (carrier), which is modulated by the data (audio, video, etc.). Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) takes this concept further, separating an individual transmission into multiple low-frequency signals with a high resistance to interference. A further extension of the technology, coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (COFDM), is widely used in Europe and elsewhere where the digital audio broadcast (DAB) standard has been adopted. OFDM and COFDM offer the benefits of high spectral efficiency, resilience to radio-frequency (RF) interference, and lower multipath distortion.

Phase modulation, like frequency modulation, is a form of angle modulation (so called because the angle of the sinewave carrier is changed by the modulating wave). The two methods are very similar in the sense that any attempt to shift the frequency or phase is accomplished by a change in the other.

Pulse Modulation

Pulse modulation involves modulating a carrier that is a train of regularly recurrent pulses. The modulation might vary the amplitude (PAM or pulse amplitude modulation), the duration (PDM or pulse duration modulation), or the presence of the pulses (PCM or pulse code modulation). PCM can be used to send digital data; audio signals on a compact disc use pulse code modulation. Developed in 1939 by the English inventor Alec H. Reeves, pulse code modulation is the most important form of pulse modulation because it can be used to transmit information over long distances with hardly any interference or distortion; for this reason it has become increasingly important in the transmission of data in the space program and between computers. Although PCM transmits digital instead of analog signals, the modulating wave is continuous. Digital modulation begins with a digital modulating signal. The two most common digital modulating techniques are phase-shift keying (PSK) and frequency-shift keying (FSK).

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modulation

modulation The process of varying one signal, called the carrier, according to the pattern provided by another signal. The carrier is usually an analog signal selected to match the characteristics of a particular transmission system. Modulation signals and techniques may be combined to produce composite signals carrying many independent channels of information (see multiplexing).

The primary types of modulation are as follows:(a)Amplitude modulation (AM) – the strength or amplitude of the carrier signal is varied. This form of modulation is not often directly used in computer communication except in some modems as quadrative amplitude modulation (QAM).(b)Frequency modulation (FM) – the frequency of the carrier is varied. This technique is often used by modems. See also frequency shift keying.(c)Phase modulation (PM) – the phase of the carrier wave is varied. This technique is often used together with amplitude modulation in high-speed modems. See also phase shift keying.(d)Pulse code modulation (PCM) – an analog signal is encoded as a series of pulses in a digital data stream. This technique is used by codecs.The term shift keying, as in frequency shift keying, denotes specialized modulation techniques in which the modulating signal is digital rather than analog.

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modulate

mod·u·late
/ ˈmäjəˌlāt/
•
v. [tr.]
exert a modifying or controlling influence on:
the state attempts to modulate private business's cash flow. ∎
vary the strength, tone, or pitch of (one's voice):
we all modulate our voice by hearing it. ∎
alter the amplitude or frequency of (an electromagnetic wave or other oscillation) in accordance with the variations of a second signal, typically one of a lower frequency:
radio waves are modulated to carry the analog information of the voice. ∎
[intr.] Mus.
change from one key to another:
the first half of the melody, modulating from E minor to G. ∎ [intr.] (modulate into)
change from one form or condition into (another):
ideals and opinions are not modulated into authoritative journalese.DERIVATIVES:mod·u·la·tion
/ ˌmäjəˈlāshən/ n.mod·u·la·tor
/ -ˌlātər/ n.

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modulation

modulation In physics, the process of varying the characteristics of one wave system in accordance with those of another. It is basic to radio broadcasting. In amplitude modulation(AM), the amplitude of a high-frequency radio carrier wave varies in accordance with the frequency of a current generated by a sound wave. This means the wave will vary with a broadcast sound, such as a voice or music. Frequency modulation(FM), in which the frequency of the carrier wave is modulated, is used for static-free, short-range broadcasting.

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